1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a two-wheel man-powered vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle of this kind which is drivable by means of a vertical power lever and flexible transmission means and having a front wheel which is steerable upon rotation of said vertical power lever about its own vertical axis, and having an operator's seat arrangement capable of moving back and forth with regard to the frame of the vehicle.
This new two-wheel vehicle is operable by the rider in a manner very similar to a rowing boat. This is a very desirable characteristic, since it is known that the exercise performed by a human being when rowing a boat of the sporting type is a very complete exercise during which most of the main muscles of the body will make a combined effort and thus are exercised.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Considered in general terms, several different constructions of such a vehicle are already known. However, each of said known embodiments has its own and characteristic disadvantages. The known type of vehicles of this kind have all a point in common, which is the use of a hand lever which may be swung back and forth in the same plane as the general vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle, a string, cable, chain or other flexible transmission means being connected at one end to said hand lever and at its other end to unidirectional driving means associated with one of the wheels (normally the rear wheel). Thus the swinging back and forth movement of the hand lever is first converted to a linear back and forth movement of the flexible transmission means and then to a rotation movement of the driven wheel. In other embodiments only one end of the flexible transmission means is connected to the hand-lever, the flexible means passing over said unidirectional driving means, and the other end of the flexible means being connected to a fixed point of the frame of the vehicle through an extensible spring. In still another embodiment, the back and forth swinging movement imparted to the hand lever is converted to a rotating movement of the wheel by means of a crank and connecting rod mechanism. Each of these known vehicles has its own drawbacks.